Network devices can communicate with each other in a network by use of protocols such as a device discovery mechanism. Typically, a network device in a network will require a device discovery mechanism, so that the network device can identify other devices in the network and communicate with the other devices in the network. The device discovery mechanism permits the network device to, for example, learn about the device types among neighboring devices, the capabilities of the neighboring devices, and the addresses of the neighboring devices in the network. The device discovery mechanism also permits the network device to advertise its addresses and its capabilities.
One current device discovery mechanism is the CDP (Cisco Discovery Protocol) protocol from Cisco Systems, Inc., San Jose, Calif. Other discovery mechanisms include, for example, the Ironview® Network Manager from Foundry Networks, Inc., Alviso, Calif., and LLDP (Link Layer Discovery Protocol) which is an open standard for device discovery and physical topology discovery.
In current technology, however, if two devices in a network do not have the same discovery protocol in their firmware, then the two devices will not be able to discover each other. For example, a device with the CDP protocol will not be able to discover another network device that does not have the CDP protocol, or a device with a particular version of a particular discovery protocol will not be able to discover another network device with a different version of the same particular discovery protocol.
Therefore, the current technology is limited in its capabilities and suffers from at least the above constraints and deficiencies.